Psoas strength and flexibility: core workouts to increase mobility, reduce injuries and end back pain

137 Pages·2015·2.235 MB·English

by  Ellgen, Pamela

STRENGTHEN YOUR MOST E
L
L
G
E
IMPORTANT MUSCLE! N
Connecting the lower spine to the hips and legs, a strong and flexible
psoas muscle is vital for everyday movements like walking, bending and
reaching, as well as athletic endeavors like jumping for a ball, holding a
yoga pose and swinging a golf club. With targeted information
and exercises, this book’s step-by-step program
guarantees you’ll transforms this vulnerable
P
muscle, including: S
O
A
DEVELOP A POWERFUL CORE S

S
t
END BACK PAIN r
e
n
g
INCREASE RANGE OF MOTION
t
h

a
IMPROVE POSTURE n
d

F
PREVENT STRAINS AND INJURIES
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e
x
i
b
Packed with 100s of step-by-step photos and clear, concise i
l
i
t
instructions, Psoas Strength and Flexibility features y
workouts for toning the muscle as well as rehabbing from
injury. And each program is based on simple matwork
exercises that require minimal or no equipment.
$15.95 US
$18.95 CAN
Distributed by
Publishers Group West
P S O A S
Strength and Flexibility
Core Workouts to Increase Mobility,
Reduce Injuries and End Back Pain
Pamela Ellgen, CPT
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Text copyright © 2015 Pamela Ellgen. Design and concept copyright © 2015 Ulysses Press and its licensors.
Photographs copyright © 2015 Rapt Productions except as noted below. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized
duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to
photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.
Published in the United States by
Ulysses Press
P.O. Box 3440
Berkeley, CA 94703
www.ulyssespress.com
ISBN: 978-1-61243-465-0
Library of Congress Control Number 2014952016
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acquisitions: Keith Riegert
Managing editor: Claire Chun
Editor: Lily Chou
Proofreader: Renee Rutledge
Indexer: Sayre Van Young
Front cover/interior design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com
Artwork: cover © leonello calvetti/shutterstock.com; page 6 © stihii/shutterstock.com
Models: Nadia Brunner-Velasquez, Pamela Ellgen, Bryan Johnson
Distributed by Publishers Group West
Please Note: This book has been written and published strictly for informational purposes, and in no way should be
used as a substitute for consultation with health care professionals. You should not consider educational material
herein to be the practice of medicine or to replace consultation with a physician or other medical practitioner. The
author and publisher are providing you with information in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can
choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge. The author and publisher also urge all readers to be aware of
their health status and to consult health care professionals before beginning any health program.
This book is independently authored and published. No sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no
affiliation with any trademarked brands or products mentioned or pictured, is claimed or suggested. All trademarks
that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only.
The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands and other products mentioned and
pictured in this book.
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Table of Contents
Part 1: OVERVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6
Introduction ......................................................................... 7
What Is the Psoas? ............................................................... 9
Is Your Psoas Healthy? ...................................................... 13
Maintaining a Healthy Psoas ............................................... 17
Nutrition & Weight Loss .................................................... 22
Part 2: FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 28
Active Stretches ................................................................. 29
Leg Swing ..............................................................................................................................................................30
Walking Psoas Stretch ..........................................................................................................................................32
Kneeling Knee Crunch ..........................................................................................................................................35
Lunge .....................................................................................................................................................................36
Inner Thigh Stretch ..............................................................................................................................................38
Static Stretches .................................................................. 39
Static Kneeling Psoas Stretch .............................................................................................................................40
Bent-Knee Stretch .................................................................................................................................................42
Hamstrings Stretch on Bench .............................................................................................................................43
Bent-Knee Stretch on Roller ................................................................................................................................44
Outer Thigh Stretch .............................................................................................................................................45
Quadriceps Stretch ...............................................................................................................................................46
Hamstrings Stretch ...............................................................................................................................................47
Kneeling Psoas Stretch with Leg Rotation ..........................................................................................................48
Kneeling Wall Stretch ..........................................................................................................................................50
Self-Myofascial Release ...................................................... 51
Psoas Release ........................................................................................................................................................52
Piriformis & Gluteal Muscles Release ..................................................................................................................53
Outer Front Hip Release ......................................................................................................................................54
Hamstrings Release ..............................................................................................................................................55
Quadriceps Release ..............................................................................................................................................56
Yoga .................................................................................. 57
Corpse Pose ..........................................................................................................................................................58
Mountain Pose .....................................................................................................................................................59
Tree Pose ...............................................................................................................................................................60
Pigeon Pose ..........................................................................................................................................................62
Boat Pose ..............................................................................................................................................................63
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Bridge Pose...........................................................................................................................................................64
Triangle Pose ........................................................................................................................................................65
Cobra Pose ...........................................................................................................................................................66
Crow Pose .............................................................................................................................................................67
Standing Big Toe Pose.........................................................................................................................................68
Pilates ............................................................................... 70
Pelvic Curl ..............................................................................................................................................................72
Supine Leg Lift .....................................................................................................................................................73
Prone Back Extension ...........................................................................................................................................74
One-Leg Circle ......................................................................................................................................................75
Roll-Up ...................................................................................................................................................................77
Neck Pull ................................................................................................................................................................78
Hundred .................................................................................................................................................................80
Single Bent-Leg Stretch .......................................................................................................................................81
Single Straight-Leg Stretch .................................................................................................................................82
Double-Leg Stretch .............................................................................................................................................84
Teaser .....................................................................................................................................................................85
Open-Leg Rocker .................................................................................................................................................86
Rollover .................................................................................................................................................................88
Jackknife ...............................................................................................................................................................90
Scissors .................................................................................................................................................................91
Spine Twist ............................................................................................................................................................92
Corkscrew .............................................................................................................................................................94
Part 3: STRENGTH EXERCISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 96
Strength Training ................................................................ 97
Chair V-Sit ..............................................................................................................................................................98
Scissors ..................................................................................................................................................................99
Captain’s Chair ....................................................................................................................................................100
Plank .....................................................................................................................................................................101
Opposite Arm & Leg Raise ................................................................................................................................102
Russian Twist ......................................................................................................................................................103
Cat-Cow Pose ....................................................................................................................................................105
Superman ............................................................................................................................................................106
Extension on Exercise Ball ................................................................................................................................107
Side Plank ............................................................................................................................................................108
Dead Lift ..............................................................................................................................................................111
Standing Side Kick ..............................................................................................................................................113
Single-Leg Hip Lift ..............................................................................................................................................115
Knee Extension ...................................................................................................................................................117
Single-Leg Squat with Reverse Wood Chop ....................................................................................................118
Static Wall Squat ................................................................................................................................................120
Side-Lying Clamshell ..........................................................................................................................................122
Quadruped Leg Lift with Bent Leg ...................................................................................................................123
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Quadruped Leg Lift with Straight Leg..............................................................................................................124
Part 4: PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Psoas Programs ............................................................... 126
General Psoas Flexibility .......................................................................................................127
General Psoas Strength .......................................................................................................128
Psoas Strength & Flexibility for Sedentary Population .......................................................129
Psoas Healing from Pain, Swelling & Spasms .....................................................................130
References ....................................................................... 131
Acknowledgments ............................................................ 135
About the Author ............................................................. 136
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Part 1: OVERVIEW
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Introduction
Walk into any gym in America and you’ll find endless rows of equipment to train your arms, back, core,
and legs. But where’s the machine for strengthening your psoas? The showpiece muscles get all the
attention while the psoas goes unnoticed.
Fitness magazines are equally dismissive. It’s amusing to even imagine the headlines they might come up
with: “10 Tips for Shaping Up Your Psoas” or “Get a Beach-Ready Psoas by Summer!”
However, the psoas’ lack of exposure is no indication of its importance in your physical health
and fitness. In fact, the effects of a tight or weak psoas can be substantial, including poor posture,
a protruding stomach, hip and knee pain, and decreased mobility.
This book aims to help you develop a healthy psoas muscle. First, it will help you evaluate the
health of your psoas and determine whether it’s shortened and tight or lengthened and weak;
however, none of these conditions is mutually exclusive. All can be affected by various lifestyle
factors, including weight, body-fat composition, non-exercise activity level, fitness, nutrition,
sleep, and hydration.
Part 1 discusses the ways in which these factors contribute to psoas health or dysfunction as well
as complementary medical treatments for psoas health. It also provides nutrition and lifestyle
recommendations to facilitate healthy hip flexors.
Part 2 focuses on flexibility exercises, including yoga and Pilates, that improve range of motion in your
hip flexors, abdominal muscles, and lower back. It also features tension-soothing self-myofascial release
techniques that target fascial adhesions.
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Part 3 is dedicated to providing resistance exercises to build strength in the quadriceps, gluteal muscles,
hamstrings, abdominal muscles, and lumbar spine, all of which contribute to the healthy functioning of
your psoas muscle so it works synergistically with the surrounding muscles.
Part 4 provides focused programs for specific concerns, including workouts for people who are sedentary
or seeking relief from pain and swelling.
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What Is the Psoas?
The psoas major is a muscle that wraps around your pelvis from your lower back forward to the lower part
of your pelvis at the inner thigh of both legs. More specifically, it originates at the anterior lateral aspect
of the lumbar vertebrae L5, joins the iliacus in the pelvis, and inserts at the lesser trochanter of the femur.
Imagine a bikini bottom from the 1980s with its high leg cut and you have a general idea of where the
psoas muscle lies, though it does not join at the pubis but attaches to the femur. Together, the psoas and
iliacus muscles are referred to as the iliopsoas.
The psoas major is long and wide at its midline, with a conical shape on each end; it’s what is known as
a fusiform muscle. It’s composed of slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers, meaning it’s capable of both
sustaining endurance activities at low levels of intensity and producing bursts of movement for a short
duration. In about 50 percent of humans, the psoas major is also joined by a very thin muscle called the
psoas minor.
The iliopsoas is part of a larger muscle group called the hip flexors. These include the rectus femoris and
sartorius located on the front of your thigh, the tensor fasciae latae, which is part of your hip and upper
thigh muscles, and the pectineus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, and gracilis, which are all part of
your medial thigh.
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